The Forever Winter

It's a 3rd person extraction shooter with its own unique vibe and visuals, but unfortunately, it's just not fun to play because of clunky, stupid mechanics and terrible optimization (not just performance-wise, but also bugs and awful AI logic). The devs flex about being AAA veterans, but it's basically just hot air. Since I last played over a year ago, absolutely nothing has changed, and it doesn't look like anything will because the devs are just talkers. People keep saying The Forever Winter has potential, but as is usually the case, nobody is actually going to realize that potential, and I see zero point in buying 'potential' just to play a broken game. I don't recommend buying this game or supporting these people because their roadmap is unclear, and what they actually do doesn't match what they claim. Just try the demo or play it for under 1-2 hours and refund it if you don't like it. Those first two hours show you literally everything the game and its gameplay loop have to offer.

Store page says single player but there is content that cannot be done solo.

Nur Versprechungen sonst nichts. Das spiel funktioniert im Kern, irgendwie. Ich schaue alle paar Monate mal rein ob sich was geändert hat. Allerdings kann man meißt einfach ein weiteres Skin-Pack kaufen und der Helikopter verschwindet immer noch im Boden oder im Berg. Gegner hängen einfach fest und glitschen durch den Boden, schießen wild herum, treffen nix oder machen kein schaden. Es gibt genau eine Schuss- Animation/Sound/VFX für alle Gegner. Die Welt ist aus Assets zusammengesteckt und überhaupt nicht optimiert man fällt durch Löscher bleibt an Kleinigkeiten hängen. Gameplay Basics werden einfach nicht umgesetzt. Wirklich Schade. Ich habe das Gefühl, dass sich die Entwickler hier mit ihrer vermeintlichen "Erfahrung" in großen Entwicklerstudios und Titeln die sie dort erworben haben brüsten aber diese nicht praktisch anwenden können. Worlbuilding ist gut, für ein Buch, aber für ein Spiel gehört leider mehr dazu. Schade, enttäuschend.

You can stealth a majority of the raid but when you call extract groups of enemies spawn on you. What's the point then?

Super janky which makes it frustrating to play. I realise it is in early access, but they released it in this state, so I am reviewing it in this state. Hopefully, it'll hugely improved by 1.0. Hold off until then.

游戏画面独一档，当初就是被这个美术吸引了入的，其它就一言难尽，打击感一般，并且全员肌无力，前期经验宝贵，基本都加生存的技能了，所以很憋屈，而且你的弹药金贵而稀少，一但进战就会一直消耗而敌人的好兄弟无穷无尽所以还是只有避战而逃，喜欢画面及美术的可以等打折入，其他就不建议了，还有这个游戏不是搜打撤！不是搜打撤！不是搜打撤！重要的事情要说三遍千万不要被它的宣传视频骗了，这就是个老鼠模拟器，你就是这只老鼠，是个人看见都要往死里打，所以请做好一只老鼠的本分，胆小谨慎，阴暗爬行，偷到物品尽快撤离，对了这游戏的任务指引完全没有，加上中文翻译有问题，基本靠猜在哪去做，以及整么做，没有大地图没有小地图，没有任何的指引，一玩一个不吱声。。。。，如果以上的屎您都能吃的话那就无脑入吧。。。。。。。。。。

Can't figure out how to extract to base after 2nd quest to visit terminals and ready room. Level design seemed small, linear, and 'disjointed' from each location to the next. Was hoping for a larger city/area to explore with various ways to get back, including immediately turning around to go home if need be. Was hoping for interactable npcs with quests or doing something to help each other survive in such a bleak world. I would've liked to have learned the story of what's going on but there's no world-building, who or what are we, humans, cyborgs, impoverished bystanders or some other faction? Graphics and atmosphere are spot on, I just don't understand the what or why. If it's just shoot, loot, return, rinse and repeat, I don't think the game is for me.

this game is like a sick dog that you don't want to put down, it might get better. but it probably won't

The best art style theme and story I have ever seen and I’m not kidding but everything else is just terrible. For example, gun play is Janky and doesn’t work well with the camera system. Movement feels restrictive and floaty. Unfinished concept art is still being used for character portraits. Enemy AI is just bad. Player hit boxes, especially with melee enemies are more inconsistent then an opioid addicts sleep schedule. Quest can leave new players, directionless and confused resulting in just looking up a tutorial or running around the map until they die from a random patrol. Lastly, progression feels like something they cobble together for a tech demo. I got the game one or two months after it came out for early access and played it often on to check up how good it was getting but I genuinely just can’t recommend it to anybody. It doesn’t seem like it’s getting better.

jesus h christ where to start this game could be amazing, at times it has some A class atmosphere and immersion, the artwork and game world are absolutely incredible, as is the premise of the game. it is "fun" to play, sort of, in a way. not really. it has a little of of that "je ne sais quoi", that indefinable quality that is kind of good but you sorta dont know why you like it. it has some sort of weird rizz but oh my god do not buy this game in its current state, this game should not be for sale. it is fcking ridiculous that fundog put this out, in this state, and is asking money for it. let me explain. this game is the most janky piece of sht ive played in a good long while and ive played some sht. literally nothing works well or makes sense or functions smoothly, nothing. the UI is so bad, like i still cant figure out how to do real simple sht like outfit my character or find certain things that i know are in my stash or equip grenades bcos the UI and UX are austiscally dogsht. im a real stickler for a good UI and whoever came up with the UI for this game, i have an issue with the way your mind works. and the UI is indicative of everything else, all the systems, the gameplay and the AI. oh god, the AI. this game has some of the worst, most janky, most immersion breaking, unreliable, brainless AI ive seen ever in a game that actually functions. from the moment you meet the AI you get nothing but total jank. strange animations, totally nonsensical path tracing, you cant really gauge behaviours or learn or play around the AI bcos it is total nonsense 100% of the time. sometimes theyll literally walk right up to you and stand over you with their gun resting on your head and not see you, other times you move and they all come screaming over, sometimes they break from their normal path tracing and stand right in the middle of the way you have to go for no discernable reason, sometimes theyll know youre there but not be able to find you and youll just end up trapped bcos theyre wandering around aimlessly. sometimes theyll kill on sight, sometimes they wont, there is no rhyme or reason to any of it and it makes this particular game, with its design philosophy and design intent, completely unplayable in a way that feels anything but utterly ridiculous. its just a fcking jankfest, beginning to end. forever winter feels like a bunch of super talented artistic kids got together to make an art project, it does not feel like a game, i honestly dont know if itll ever be a game. it has some of the most incredible art design ive ever seen, when it works and the textures arent floating in midair again it looks unbelievably beautiful. but thats all it really is, its an art piece. at least atm. everything else is a complete mess. fundog should not have released this, im shocked that its been out for so long and ive just played it and its so bad right now. what tf was it like when they released it? fundog shouldnt have released it in the state its in right now but its too late for all that. they should have just had a demo with a couple of the empty maps out for ppl to explore, so that we could see the world theyre building and their artwork. then they should have had regular beta testing weekends where players could jump in and test things out. i know they needed the money to pay their staff and fund the project and i appreciate that 100%, i support workers everywhere but this borders on bad behaviour from fundog leadership. it is bad behaviour. im conflicted. and theyre releasing skin packs and sht, for a game that barely functions and where it does it does so badly. not really cool guys. i think fundog is flying by the seat of their pants with this one, a real "fake it to you make it" kinda deal. which is how it kind of works, right? but you shouldnt be charging good money when you're faking it. this game needs some serious, serious work in areas that i dont think are getting attention. they need to leave the artwork and the modelling and the map design alone for about 12 months and just focus on getting the fcking thing to play. sort out the AI, hire some experience if you have to. figure out the fcking UI bcos it is fcking dogsht. get the systems figured out and streamline the experience. improve the player movement and collison, it is not good atm, it feels like sludge and for a stealth game the movement and collison and vaulting etc needs to be top class. the gun play is also not good, ive experienced worse but that isnt a compliment. this game could be a genuine masterpiece but i dont think its going that way, i dont know if fundog has the experience or the ability to pull this massive feat off tbh. i feel bad but im being honest. as i said, art kids doing an art project. thats what forever winter feels like. i really hope im wrong and i genuinely wish fundog all the best, i hope they make me look fcking stupid, i hope they knock it out of the park. and theyve got my money now so i hope it fcking helps. if youre on the fence about this game just wait, trust me. unless you really wanna support fundog. give it another 12 - 18 months and see whats up then. if they dont have most of the sht ive just whined about under control in 18 months time then this game is just an art project that broke containment.